George and Amal Clooney Donate $100,000 to Aid Immigrant Children

By Christi Carras

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Amal and George Clooney have donated $100,000 to the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, which advocates for the fair treatment and safety of immigrant children in the deportation process. The Young Center is one of the leading organizations fighting against the Trump administration’s new Border Patrol policy, which has separated over 2,000 immigrant children from their parents.

“At some point in the future our children will ask us: is it true, did our country really take babies from their parents and put them in detention centers?” the Clooneys said in a statement. “And when we answer yes, they’ll ask us what we did about it. What we said. Where we stood. We can’t change this administration’s policy but we can help defend the victims of it.”

In the five days since news broke of President Donald Trump’s no-tolerance policy , which has been in effect since May, Hollywood has expressed outrage upon viewing photos and reading testimonies of immigrant families that have been forcibly divided.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are among the stars who have donated to aid the families. The couple gave $72,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union and encouraged others to donate what they can. Others, like Judd Apatow, Ava DuVernay, and Kumail Nanjiani, have been vocal on social media, calling the policy “cruel,” “torturing,” and “racist.” Many are comparing Trump’s actions to Nazi Germany and Japanese Internment Camps.

“This Administration’s policy disregards international law and basic principles of human decency,” Young Center executive director Maria Woltjen said. “To treat children in such a cruel manner not only violates their legal rights but also their basic needs. We are doing everything we can to advocate on behalf of the thousands of children who are separated and alone, and we are grateful for the generous support of George and Amal Clooney and the Clooney Foundation for Justice — it could not be more vital at this time.”